In 1996 a song called "Three Lions" was released as the anthem of the England football team for that year's European Championships, held in England. They had won the World Cup exactly 30 years earlier in 1966, and the plan was to celebrate the 30th anniversary in style. The best known line from the song was “Football’s coming home”.

In 2010, the mighty Blackrock of County Limerick might be forgiven for releasing their own song in the coming days containing the words “Hurling’s coming home”. They will visit Croke Park in two weeks time for the All Ireland Junior club hurling final in what has been a remarkable journey through the history of the association for the Kilfinane based club.

In 1897, a Kilfinane selection representing Limerick won the very first All Ireland senior hurling title. Throughout the years, while not reaching the same heights again, they have always played their part in Limerick club hurling and more than pulled their weight in terms of providing players to various county sides. Their defeat of Kilkenny side Blacks and Whites in the All Ireland semi final was a gritty hard fought victory, and hopefully they will finish the job in the final.

Meanwhile, while there are a lot of songs that could be used to describe the current fortunes of the Limerick senior hurling team, “Hurling’s coming home” certainly isn’t one of them. A defeat to an apparently depleted Carlow in a hurling challenge game, no disrespect to the opposition, doesn’t quite represent the level at which the Limerick senior hurlers need to be competing.

It’s a difficult situation, and there are numerous opinions, and it’s widely acknowledged that there has been wrong on all sides. The players’ statement wasn’t acknowledged at the recent county board meeting by the top table, almost as if the statement doesn’t exist, but the county board are good at playing dumb. ‘Unlimited Heartbreak’ doesn’t appear to exist either in their eyes, despite direct contributions from two members of the board executive. Burying the heads in the sand is all very well but what does it achieve? We are in a situation where a signed declaration from 24 players that they will not return under Justin McCarthy is responded to unofficially by media comments along the lines of “We have spoken to players and they are about to return”. Can these type of comments be taken as an indicator that the players who signed the statement aren’t men of their word? A very serious assumption to make…

This writer was at the recent county board meeting, and was one of those who remained silent. By ensuring that the meeting stuck to its full agenda, Liam Lenihan the chairman was left with a hall full of tired delegates by the end of the night, and there wasn’t an appetite for battle. Mickey Mangan, the Croom delegate read a prepared club statement, which to be fair, needed to be read. No player is above reproach, and some need a few kicks up in the behind every so often, but there appears to have been a concerted attempt in the media to bury one or two players. Regardless of any misdemeanours, this is surely below the belt. The Croom club statement targeted the messenger and justifiably so, but something getting very little consideration is who is prompting the messenger? There are people in Limerick who would burn the players concerned, but they totally disapprove of the newspaper comments. Kilkenny could afford to release Charlie Carter, Brian McEvoy etc. men who might seem like angels in Limerick terms, but in Limerick we need everyone. Anyhow, back to the meeting, and there didn’t seem any point in rehashing old ground, given that the 2010 team secured a draw against Wexford at Mallow a couple of days earlier. In short, there was very little justification in terms of results for revisiting the matter. The general consensus was that by virtue of the vote at Claughaun before Christmas, it had become a waiting game that would take the evidence of some league games to conclude. However, the Carlow result has changed everything. Many supporters and club members fear what’s to come, and feel the time has come for the waiting game to end. There is nobody saying that a new manager should be compelled to pick all twenty-four players on his panel, but anyone coming in would certainly be picking eighteen of them.

This writer’s position is clear. There is wrong from a number of angles but a blame game will achieve nothing. Justin McCarthy has a proven track record in the game of hurling but the marriage with the Limerick senior hurlers simply hasn’t worked. The same can be said for some members of his backroom team. We have all heard the saying where for several married couples it has been all love and kisses for the first six months, and then all of a sudden they are throwing saucepans at one another. Justin, his management team and the county board are fighting a battle that was lost in Cork twelve months ago, and in Clare before Christmas. In Limerick it has dragged on until now, and unless decisive action is taken, it will drag on a good bit longer.

At this stage what’s needed is closure, and Justin McCarthy - to be fair can - return to Leeside and cope without Limerick hurling. Limerick hurling, on the other hand, cannot cope without its best players on the field. A replacement for Justin would appear to be a bigger problem than ever now, because John Tuohy, the likely caretaker manager has not endeared himself to everyone with his recent offerings in the media. Nevertheless, there may not be an alternative option to hold the fort for the time being, perhaps until August.

Whether the players agree or disagree, may be irrelevant because to find a completely new manager would probably take the bones of two months. In the meantime, we need to thank Justin for his services and offer our sympathies that it hasn’t worked out. Brian Ryan and Liam Garvey have also been caught in the crossfire. Bigger name Limerick men have suffered greater indignation yet not allowed it to prevent them from remaining involved in the game at grass roots level, and I have no doubt they will do the same. We can clean the mess up now and get the best players on the field, or we can wait until March. It will be another managerial casualty, but which is most important to us all?

A hurling manager or a hurling legacy?


The mighty men of Kilfinane...


Forever honoured...